"Whether by design or by chance," Terryl and Fiona Givens write, "we find ourselves in a universe filled with mystery. We encounter appealing arguments for a Divinity that is a childish projection, for prophets as scheming or deluded imposters, and for scripture as so much fabulous fiction. But there is also compelling evidence that a glorious Divinity presides over the cosmos, that His angels are strangers we have entertained unawares, and that His word and will are made manifest through a sacred canon that is never definitively closed."

5 out of 5 stars

So engaging that I listened to it twice

By
Douglas
on
01-02-14

Joseph Smith

Rough Stone Rolling

By:
Richard Lyman Bushman

Narrated by:
James Anderson Foster

Length: 28 hrs and 52 mins

Unabridged

Overall

4.5 out of 5 stars
41

Performance

4 out of 5 stars
35

Story

4.5 out of 5 stars
35

Founder of the largest indigenous Christian church in American history, Joseph Smith published the 584-page
Book of Mormon when he was 23 and went on to organize a church, found cities, and attract thousands of followers before his violent death at age 38. Richard Bushman, an esteemed cultural historian and a practicing Mormon, moves beyond the popular stereotype of Smith as a colorful fraud to explore his personality, his relationships with others, and how he received revelations.

Mr. Mormon can take a normal LDS member and turn them into a Super-Mormon by using new ideas and discoveries from science, the cosmos, world history, and the scriptures.
Mr. Mormon teaches about a supernova that was recorded by Chinese astronomers at the time of the birth of Jesus. It discovers that Joseph Smith taught the theory of time relativity over a half of a century before Albert Einstein.

5 out of 5 stars

Good food for thought

By
Oak
on
03-26-16

Brigham Young

Pioneer Prophet

By:
John G. Turner

Narrated by:
Stephen Hoye

Length: 19 hrs and 40 mins

Unabridged

Overall

4 out of 5 stars
170

Performance

3.5 out of 5 stars
151

Story

4 out of 5 stars
152

Brigham Young was a rough-hewn craftsman from New York whose impoverished and obscure life was electrified by the Mormon faith. He trudged around the United States and England to gain converts for Mormonism, spoke in spiritual tongues, married more than 50 women, and eventually transformed a barren desert into his vision of the Kingdom of God. While previous accounts of his life have been distorted by hagiography or polemical exposé, John Turner provides a fully realized portrait of a colossal figure in American religion, politics, and westward expansion.

4 out of 5 stars

The Lion of the Lord says "Mind Your Own Business"

By
Darwin8u
on
08-26-13

Prophecy and Modern Times

Finding Hope and Encouragement in the Last Days

By:
W. Cleon Skousen

Narrated by:
Mark Deakins

Length: 2 hrs and 58 mins

Unabridged

Overall

4.5 out of 5 stars
278

Performance

4.5 out of 5 stars
230

Story

4.5 out of 5 stars
231

Prophecy and Modern Times is a delightfully arranged collection of prophecies from both ancient and modern prophets. A foreword by President Ezra Taft Benson sets the stage. Learn how to interpret and understand prophecy. Learn its purpose in your own life. Next, read about prophecies concerning America and Palestine, and see how those ancient men foresaw events that we are living through right now.

5 out of 5 stars

Great Book for the Second Coming of Jesus Christ

By
Sam
on
12-07-14

Following the Light of Christ into His Presence

By:
John M. Pontius

Narrated by:
Greg Garstka

Length: 7 hrs and 47 mins

Unabridged

Overall

5 out of 5 stars
193

Performance

4.5 out of 5 stars
169

Story

5 out of 5 stars
167

John M. Pontius brings to light simple ways to recognize and implement personal revelation in your life. Inside you'll find the grand keys that will help make receiving daily guidance, answers to prayers, and much more, accessible to everyone. With this book at your side, you'll be better prepared to prosper along your life's journey and accomplish the work the Lord has planned for you.

5 out of 5 stars

For humble followers of Christ.

By
James W Jensen
on
06-11-17

The God Who Weeps

How Mormonism Makes Sense of Life

By:
Terryl Givens,
Fiona Givens

Narrated by:
Fiona Givens

Length: 5 hrs and 25 mins

Unabridged

Overall

4.5 out of 5 stars
378

Performance

4.5 out of 5 stars
327

Story

4.5 out of 5 stars
322

"Whether by design or by chance," Terryl and Fiona Givens write, "we find ourselves in a universe filled with mystery. We encounter appealing arguments for a Divinity that is a childish projection, for prophets as scheming or deluded imposters, and for scripture as so much fabulous fiction. But there is also compelling evidence that a glorious Divinity presides over the cosmos, that His angels are strangers we have entertained unawares, and that His word and will are made manifest through a sacred canon that is never definitively closed."

5 out of 5 stars

So engaging that I listened to it twice

By
Douglas
on
01-02-14

Joseph Smith

Rough Stone Rolling

By:
Richard Lyman Bushman

Narrated by:
James Anderson Foster

Length: 28 hrs and 52 mins

Unabridged

Overall

4.5 out of 5 stars
41

Performance

4 out of 5 stars
35

Story

4.5 out of 5 stars
35

Founder of the largest indigenous Christian church in American history, Joseph Smith published the 584-page
Book of Mormon when he was 23 and went on to organize a church, found cities, and attract thousands of followers before his violent death at age 38. Richard Bushman, an esteemed cultural historian and a practicing Mormon, moves beyond the popular stereotype of Smith as a colorful fraud to explore his personality, his relationships with others, and how he received revelations.

Mr. Mormon can take a normal LDS member and turn them into a Super-Mormon by using new ideas and discoveries from science, the cosmos, world history, and the scriptures.
Mr. Mormon teaches about a supernova that was recorded by Chinese astronomers at the time of the birth of Jesus. It discovers that Joseph Smith taught the theory of time relativity over a half of a century before Albert Einstein.

5 out of 5 stars

Good food for thought

By
Oak
on
03-26-16

Brigham Young

Pioneer Prophet

By:
John G. Turner

Narrated by:
Stephen Hoye

Length: 19 hrs and 40 mins

Unabridged

Overall

4 out of 5 stars
170

Performance

3.5 out of 5 stars
151

Story

4 out of 5 stars
152

Brigham Young was a rough-hewn craftsman from New York whose impoverished and obscure life was electrified by the Mormon faith. He trudged around the United States and England to gain converts for Mormonism, spoke in spiritual tongues, married more than 50 women, and eventually transformed a barren desert into his vision of the Kingdom of God. While previous accounts of his life have been distorted by hagiography or polemical exposé, John Turner provides a fully realized portrait of a colossal figure in American religion, politics, and westward expansion.

4 out of 5 stars

The Lion of the Lord says "Mind Your Own Business"

By
Darwin8u
on
08-26-13

Prophecy and Modern Times

Finding Hope and Encouragement in the Last Days

By:
W. Cleon Skousen

Narrated by:
Mark Deakins

Length: 2 hrs and 58 mins

Unabridged

Overall

4.5 out of 5 stars
278

Performance

4.5 out of 5 stars
230

Story

4.5 out of 5 stars
231

Prophecy and Modern Times is a delightfully arranged collection of prophecies from both ancient and modern prophets. A foreword by President Ezra Taft Benson sets the stage. Learn how to interpret and understand prophecy. Learn its purpose in your own life. Next, read about prophecies concerning America and Palestine, and see how those ancient men foresaw events that we are living through right now.

5 out of 5 stars

Great Book for the Second Coming of Jesus Christ

By
Sam
on
12-07-14

Following the Light of Christ into His Presence

By:
John M. Pontius

Narrated by:
Greg Garstka

Length: 7 hrs and 47 mins

Unabridged

Overall

5 out of 5 stars
193

Performance

4.5 out of 5 stars
169

Story

5 out of 5 stars
167

John M. Pontius brings to light simple ways to recognize and implement personal revelation in your life. Inside you'll find the grand keys that will help make receiving daily guidance, answers to prayers, and much more, accessible to everyone. With this book at your side, you'll be better prepared to prosper along your life's journey and accomplish the work the Lord has planned for you.

5 out of 5 stars

For humble followers of Christ.

By
James W Jensen
on
06-11-17

A House Full of Females

Plural Marriage and Women's Rights in Early Mormonism, 1835-1870

By:
Laurel Thatcher Ulrich

Narrated by:
Susan Ericksen

Length: 19 hrs and 52 mins

Unabridged

Overall

4 out of 5 stars
86

Performance

4 out of 5 stars
73

Story

4.5 out of 5 stars
75

A stunning and sure to be controversial book that pieces together, through more than two dozen 19th-century diaries, letters, albums, minute books, and quilts left by first-generation Latter-day Saints, or Mormons, the never before told story of the earliest days of the women of Mormon "plural marriage", whose right to vote in the state of Utah was given to them by a Mormon-dominated legislature as an outgrowth of polygamy in 1870, 50 years ahead of the vote nationally ratified by Congress.

4 out of 5 stars

Well-behaved women seldom write in diaries

By
Darwin8u
on
01-13-17

Journey to the Veil

By:
John Pontius

Narrated by:
Rick Gines,
Terri Pontius

Length: 9 hrs and 22 mins

Unabridged

Overall

5 out of 5 stars
77

Performance

4.5 out of 5 stars
71

Story

5 out of 5 stars
70

When doctors gave him six months to live, John Pontius (author of
Visions of Glory) created a blog to leave his testimony with his children. However, thousands of followers of UnBlog My Soul were touched. Share in the journey as Pontius expresses his love and understanding of the gospel in a clear, beautiful way. This audiobook compiles the most compelling blog entries and weaves the narrative of his journey to the veil.

5 out of 5 stars

Spirit food and this book is delicious

By
Janelle R Wayman
on
12-18-17

The Book of Mormon: A Very Short Introduction

By:
Terry L. Givens

Narrated by:
Kevin Pariseau

Length: 4 hrs and 47 mins

Unabridged

Overall

4 out of 5 stars
57

Performance

4 out of 5 stars
46

Story

4 out of 5 stars
49

With over 140 million copies in print, and serving as the principal proselytizing tool of one of the world's fastest growing faiths, the Book of Mormon is undoubtedly one of the most influential religious texts produced in the western world. Written by Terryl Givens, a leading authority on Mormonism, this compact volume offers the only concise, accessible introduction to this extraordinary work.

4 out of 5 stars

Good overview of Mormonism

By
Michael
on
10-27-15

The Atonement

A Personal Search for the Meaning of the Atonement

By:
W. Cleon Skousen

Narrated by:
Tim McConnehey

Length: 52 mins

Unabridged

Overall

5 out of 5 stars
143

Performance

4.5 out of 5 stars
123

Story

5 out of 5 stars
123

Latter-day Saints have a unique insight into the real meaning of the atonement of Jesus Christ, thanks to The Book of Mormon.

4 out of 5 stars

Great booklet read poorly.

By
Will S
on
08-02-16

Lectures on Faith

By:
Sidney Rigdon,
Joseph Smith

Narrated by:
Adam Tervort

Length: 2 hrs and 27 mins

Unabridged

Overall

4.5 out of 5 stars
140

Performance

3.5 out of 5 stars
121

Story

4.5 out of 5 stars
119

This special audiobook edition of the
Lectures on Faith from Zion's Camp Books has been prepared especially with you in mind. It is narrated as a book, rather than with chapter and verse numbers as in the print edition. This will give you the greatest enjoyment as you listen to the words of the prophets and learn about faith.

5 out of 5 stars

Narration isn't bad at all!

By
R. Burke
on
12-07-16

They Saw Our Day

By:
Lance Richardson

Narrated by:
Lance Richardson

Length: 1 hr and 48 mins

Original Recording

Overall

4.5 out of 5 stars
188

Performance

4.5 out of 5 stars
156

Story

4.5 out of 5 stars
152

Amazing prophecies were given to the Hopi Indians as well as the Mahayan of China, the Tibetans, Kikuyu of Africa, the Mayans, Aztecs and Incas of South America, and great number of North American Indian tribes. Many of these prophecies came from a "Great White Brother" who visited most of these peoples, taught them of peace, and prophesied what would occur to them until he returned in the "last days" to help build a society of complete peace in this land.

5 out of 5 stars

Christ Lives

By
Amazon Customer
on
08-16-13

The Mormon People

The Making of an American Faith

By:
Matthew Bowman

Narrated by:
Mark Deakins

Length: 11 hrs and 32 mins

Unabridged

Overall

4 out of 5 stars
55

Performance

4 out of 5 stars
51

Story

4 out of 5 stars
50

In 1830, a young seer and sometime treasure hunter named Joseph Smith began organizing adherents into a new religious community that would come to be called the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (and known informally as the Mormons). One of the nascent faith’s early initiates was a twenty-three-year-old Ohio farmer named Parley Pratt, the distant grandfather of Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney. In The Mormon People, religious historian Matthew Bowman peels back the curtain on more than 180 years of Mormon history and doctrine.

5 out of 5 stars

Balanced and informed

By
Joel
on
09-11-12

The Articles of Faith

By:
James E. Talmage (One of the Twelve Apostles of the Church),
Joseph Smith

Narrated by:
Peter Bierma

Length: 14 hrs and 18 mins

Unabridged

Overall

4 out of 5 stars
62

Performance

3 out of 5 stars
60

Story

4.5 out of 5 stars
59

The lectures herewith presented have been prepared in accordance with the request and appointment of the First Presidency of the Church. The greater number of the addresses were delivered before the Theology Class of the Church University; and, after the close of the class sessions, the lectures were continued before other Church organizations engaged in the study of theology. To meet the desire expressed by the Church authorities - that the lectures be published for use in the various educational institutions of the Church - the matter has been revised, and is now presented in this form.

3 out of 5 stars

Great Content, Monotone Narration

By
Daniel B. Johnson
on
04-12-15

Seven Miracles That Saved America

By:
Chris Stewart,
Ted Stewart

Narrated by:
Mark Van Wagoner,
Art Allen

Length: 10 hrs and 48 mins

Unabridged

Overall

4.5 out of 5 stars
122

Performance

4.5 out of 5 stars
110

Story

4.5 out of 5 stars
114

“When the odds were stacked against us - and there have been many times when the great experiment we call America could have and should have failed - did God intervene to save us?” That question, posed by authors Chris and Ted Stewart, is the foundation for this remarkable book. And the examples they cite provide compelling evidence that the hand of Providence has indeed preserved the United States of America on multiple occasions.

5 out of 5 stars

Loved the content. Reading was clear and strong.

By
April Cline Jones
on
03-11-17

History of the Prophet Joseph Smith: by his Mother

By:
C.M. Rick,
Legacy LDS Audiobook Foundation

Narrated by:
C.M. Rick

Length: 9 hrs and 48 mins

Unabridged

Overall

4.5 out of 5 stars
8

Performance

3.5 out of 5 stars
7

Story

4.5 out of 5 stars
7

Biography of Joseph Smith as written by his mother, Lucy Mack Smith. Shortly following the death of Joseph Smith in 1844, and into 1845, Lucy Mack Smith dictated her recollections and family story to Nauvoo schoolteacher Martha Jane Coray. Coray worked with her husband to compile these books of notes and other sources into a manuscript, which was then copied. Although surrounded by a great deal of controversy when first published by Orson Pratt in 1853, it was later published by the Church under the direction of Joseph F. Smith. It has been called "one of the essential sources for Mormon origins" by Richard L. Anderson, and in the words of Leonard Arrington it "perhaps tells more about Mormon origins than any other single source."

5 out of 5 stars

Thoroughly enjoyed

By
K. Onines
on
12-02-17

American Crucifixion

The Murder of Joseph Smith and the Fate of the Mormon Church

By:
Alex Beam

Narrated by:
Michael Prichard

Length: 10 hrs and 13 mins

Unabridged

Overall

4 out of 5 stars
104

Performance

4 out of 5 stars
91

Story

4 out of 5 stars
92

On June 27, 1844, a mob stormed the jail in the dusty frontier town of Carthage, Illinois. Clamorous and angry, they were hunting down a man they saw as a grave threat to their otherwise quiet lives: The founding prophet of Mormonism, Joseph Smith. They wanted blood. At thirty-nine years old, Smith had already lived an outsized life. In addition to starting the Church of Latter-Day Saints and creating his own "Golden Bible" - the Book of Mormon - he had worked as a water-dowser and treasure hunter.

3 out of 5 stars

Weak beginning strong finish

By
William
on
01-16-15

More Than the Tattooed Mormon

By:
Al Carraway

Narrated by:
Al Carraway

Length: 4 hrs and 36 mins

Unabridged

Overall

5 out of 5 stars
155

Performance

4.5 out of 5 stars
137

Story

4.5 out of 5 stars
137

Al Fox Carraway has spent the last four years inspiring the world with her story of conversion, redemption, and finding faith. As a blogger, social media personality, and award-winning public speaker, her message has reached millions. This moving biography and up-close account of her life and membership in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (sometimes called the "LDS" or "Mormon" church) will show you what it means to truly trust in the Lord.

5 out of 5 stars

Good for the soul

By
Michael J
on
01-23-18

Publisher's Summary

In this first volume of his magisterial study of the foundations of Mormon thought and practice, Terryl L. Givens offers a sweeping account of Mormon belief from its founding to the present day. Situating the relatively new movement in the context of the Christian tradition, he reveals that Mormonism continues to change and grow. Givens shows that despite Mormonism's origins in a biblical culture strongly influenced by 19th-century Restorationist thought, which advocated a return to the Christianity of the early Church, the new movement diverges radically from the Christianity of the creeds.

Mormonism proposes its own cosmology and metaphysics, in which human identity is rooted in a premortal world as eternal as God. Mormons view mortal life as an enlightening ascent rather than a catastrophic fall, and reject traditional Christian concepts of human depravity and destiny. Popular fascination with Mormonism's social innovations, such as polygamy and communalism, and its supernatural and esoteric elements - angels, gold plates, seer stones, a New World Garden of Eden, and sacred undergarments - have long overshadowed the fact that it is the most enduring and even thriving product of the 19th century's religious upheavals and innovations.

Wrestling the Angel traces the essential contours of Mormon thought from the time of Joseph Smith and Brigham Young to the contemporary LDS church, illuminating both the seminal influence of the founding generation of Mormon thinkers and the significant developments in the church over almost 200 years. The most comprehensive account of the development of Mormon thought ever written, Wrestling the Angel will be essential reading for anyone seeking to understand the Mormon faith.

A comprehensive review of Mormon theology

With references from antiquity, literature, and theology, Givens provides acomprehensive review of Mormon theology, showing where it fits into the stream of intellectual and theological thought. Mormons believe in a universe organized out of existing materials and deny the theory of ex nihilo creation. Similarly, Joseph Smith's theology was not created "out of nothing" but out of the existing threads of thought or sometimes in opposition or response to existing theologies. Was Mormonism a response to Calvinism? Yes. Did Mormonism partake of the Universalist impulse? Yes. did Mormonism contain several elements rejected in early Christianity? Absolutely.

Mormons believe that any statement given under the power of the Holy Ghost is authoritative, even scriptural. They have dozens of general authorities who make sometimes conflictingpronouncements. This makes Mormon theology sometimes difficult to pin down. Givens relies primarily on Joseph Smith, as the expounder a Mormon theology. Brigham Young, the Pratt Brothers James E Talmage and BH Roberts are secondary. Bruce R McConkie and Joseph Fielding Smith are hardly relied on at all. Some will take issue with given choices.

Academic, Excellent, mostly good narration

Would you listen to Wrestling the Angel again? Why?

Yes. It's pretty dense and I love the way that Givens draws the threads through historical Christian thought and shows both the connections between Mormonism and Christian history as well as the doctrinal innovations of Mormonism and how they came about.

What about B.J. Harrison’s performance did you like?

The narrator's voice is easy to listen to and his cadence and intonation make for easy understanding. The one shortcoming is a good number of misread words - for example reading "emphatic" when the actual word was "empathic" and reading "compromising" when the actual word was "comprising." In most situations context makes clear what the real word is, but it breaks the flow to have words that don't fit the meaning and have to figure out what the actual word must have been.

Great unapologetic review

It was illuminating to learn how and when certain aspects of Mormon doctrine came to be adopted. It feels liberating to understand more about the combination of divine direction and intellectual conclusion.

Enlightening exploration of Mormon thought

This book is ground breaking in that explores in A comparative manner Mormon with Christian theology. As a lifelong Mormon it was eye-opening to see how my core believes dovetailed and contradicted with general Christianity. This book is a must read for anyone wanting to understand Mormonism In the context of general Christianity.

Most Interesting!

I found this, like Givens' other books, to be incredibly thought provoking. Being LDS myself, I was not always comfortable with the things he had to say, but I am very grateful for the straight forward way he writes and researches. No sugar coating here. No excuse making or spinning, just the facts, ma'am. In the end, even the things that made me squirm seemed understandable, which understanding is exactly what I was seeking when I chose this book. Now I have the option of pondering so many questions I had before and which have arisen because of this book. I feel that I have a firmer base on which to form or reform my opinions. After all, it is all about choice.

A detailed scholarly study of Mormon thought

This is an excellent, in depth study of the foundations of Mormon thought, and how the doctrines of the church have evolved over time. It is extremely detailed and requires a decent amount of effort on the part of the listener, but it is worth the effort to more fully understand the material presented.

Grand-slam! A must read.

To date, the best comprehensive work describing the doctrines, ideas and evolution of Mormonism.

Well read/preformed by narrator; always engaging-- he seems to understand and be excited to share this scholarly work, as I was to read and listen. (I have the hardcover, ebook & audio book... as I do for all of his & Fiona's recent works, they are a gift to the religious world!)

No-holds barred Mormonism

What did you like best about this story?

Givens is a professor and know the landscape and lingo of professional theology. Plus, he is not at all shy about emphasizing what makes Mormonism different from Christianity, not only in its foreground doctrines but in the deep cosmological background assumptions that generate and support those unusual beliefs.

Most striking and consequential are the assertions that 1. "matter and intelligences" are coequally eternal as the stuff of the universe and that 2. embodiment is not an impediment to divinity but a positive requirement for achieving it. As well, Givens shows the cultural contexts and echoes which place some of Joseph Smith's ideas in a more understandable light. Givens, a practicing Mormon, describes Smith's prophetic style as "inspired syncretism."

Givens is looking for the deep structures which will give the foreground doctrines a more cohesive rationale and this he does quite well. If you have a taste for philosophical theology and can handle the rhetoric of the professoriate, this is a fascinating book which will give you a new perspective on a religious group that is both caught up in its own compulsion to "fit in" and is treated with ill-concealed scorn by the "cultured despisers" who run our culture.

Did the narration match the pace of the story?

The narration is ok. His speed and clarity are fine. The narrator can occasionally sound a bit on the unctious side. But he did not do his pronunciation homework before recording this: he mispronounces words at the rate of about one per half an hour.

Any additional comments?

In delineating Mormonism's departures from and likenesses to Christianity, he gives a lot of attention to Origen but makes no mention of his near-contemporary Irenaeus of Lyons, whose work would have filled out the picture.

Great Overview of Mormon Theology

Any additional comments?

This was the best book on Mormon theology I've ever read. By providing a historical overview for each topic, Givens avoids the problem of merely providing his personal views on Mormon theology. This book has enough depth to be interesting for those already familiar with Mormonism, but I believe he has also succeeded at creating an overview that is accessible for the novice.